Means for breaking steel.



PATENTED JULY 30, 1907.

' F. HILLIX.

MEANS FOR BREAKING STEEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1906.

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UNITED I STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FOSTER HILLIX, OF LA FAYETTE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE WESTERN TOOL AND MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

MEANS FOR BREAKING STEEL- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 30, 1907.

Application filed May 28,1906. Serial No. 319,147.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Fos'rnn HILLIX, a citizen of the United States, residing at La Fayette, in the county of Tippecanoe and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Breaking Steel, of which the following is a specification, ref erence being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in means for breaking steel, and, more particularly, that class of steel known as selfhardening or high speed steel. This class of steel, largely used in the manufacture of lathes and other cutting tools, is relatively very expensive, and is obtainable on the market in the form of bars of square or other cross section and of a length such as to require subdivision of each bar into a number of shorter pieces in order to be available for use. The character of the metal is such, however, that any attempt to subdivide the bars by breaking off pieces in the ordinary manner results in a very considerable Waste of material. For instance, if the bar be placed on an anvil or other support, with the portion to be broken projecting beyond the supporting surface, and this projecting portion be struck and thus broken off, the surfaces at the point of fracture will be extremely irregular, and the metal will chip and scale at that point to an extent such as to render useless and require the removal of a considerable portion of the metal at the broken ends. The same is true of attempts to break the bar by striking it at a point between two supports, while attempts to define the plane of fracture by preliminary cutting or grinding add to the expense without entirely avoiding the waste.

It is the object of my present invention to provide a simple and efficient means for breaking these bars of selfhardening steel, whereby the bar may be broken at any desired point, and the plane of fracture will be sub stantially at right angles to the axis of the bar, while all chipping or scaling of the metal will be avoided, so that there will be absolutely no waste whatever in the subdivision of the bar into the desired lengths.

To these ends my invention consists in certain novel features which I will now proceed to describe and will then particularly point out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which I have shown an apparatus embodying my invention in one form, Figure 1 is a plan view of such apparatus; Fig. 2 is a sectional view, taken on the line as x of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 3 is a sectional view, taken on the line y y of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 4 is a detail plan view ofthe holder, detached; Fig. 5 is an elevation of the same; Fig. 6 is another elevation of the holder, viewed at right angles to the direction of view of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a plan view of one of the supports or abutment blocks, detached; Fig. 8 is an elevation of the same;

Fig. 9 is an end view of the breaking wedge; and Fig. 10 is an elevation of the same.

The present invention consists in breaking the bar by exerting pressure thereon along a line extending across one of the sides of the bar inthe desired plane of fracture, supporting the bar on the side opposite that to which the pressure is applied at two fixed points lying on opposite sides of the plane of fracture, and at the same time supporting resiliently the intermediate portion of the bar between said fixed supports by spring pressure acting in opposition to the breaking pressure. I have found that this method of breaking avoids the chipping or scaling of the metal at the point of fracture, causing the bar to break squarely across in a plane substantially at right angles to the axis of the bar, the resilient resistance to the pressure acting to absorb the shock of the fracture, which shock, if not so absorbed, causes the ends of the metal to chip from the reaction.

,Referring now to the apparatus shown in the accompanying drawings, the same comprises a suitable base 1, from the center of which rises a cylindrical guide and. support 2. This latter is hollow internally, the cylindrical opening therein being indicated by the referencenumeral 3, and it has on its opposite sides lateral openings 4 and 5, from which extend radially outward suppoting ribs 6 and 7. Within the guide and support 2 there is located a holder and guide 8, shown detached in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings. This holder is provided with a projection 9, which fits in a vertical groove 10, extending longitudinally of the interior of the guide 2, and serves to prevent the holder from rotating in the guide, thus holding it in position therein. This holder is slotted transversely in a vertical direction, as indicated at 11, said slot registering with the apertures 4 and 5 to permit the passage through the holder of the bar to be broken. Said holder is also slotted vertically in a direction transverse to the slot 11, as indicated at 12, these slots forming guideways for the breaking Wedge hereinafter referred to. Said holder is further slotted horizontally, as indicated at 13, at each end of the transverse slot 11, these slots being for the reception of the supports or abutment blocks 14, one of which is shown in detail in Figs. 7 and-8. Said supports fit within the slots 13, in which they are held by the guide 2, their outer surfaces being rounded so as to lie flush with the cylindrical body of the holder 8 and thereby fit within the recess 3 of the guide 2. From an inspection of Fig. 3 it will be seen that these blocks extend somewhat above the bottom of the slot 11, so that a space or depression is formed between the adjacent edges of the supports 14.

15 indicates a spring bed comprising a strip of spring steel, which extends through the guide and holder, fit ting the openings 4 and 5 of the former and the slot 11 of the latter. The tops of the supporting ribs 6 and 7 and the tops of the supports or abutment blocks 14 are flush with the bottoms of the penings 4 and 5, and the spring bed 15 rests upon these surfaces, spanning the space or depression 16 between the supports. The spring bed extends out some distance along the supporting rib 6, and is secured in position by means of a pin 17, which projects'above said rib and its in an aperture 18 in the extended end of the spring bed. The other end of the spring bed is preferably left free, to facilitate its resilient action under pressure.

' 19 indicates the breaking wedge, shown detached i Figs. 9 and 10 of the drawings. It is fitted to slide in the Ways formed by the slot 12, its ends being rounded to [it the interior wall of the recess 3 of the guide 2. Its lower face is beveledpff at an obtuse angle, the inclined surfaces meeting at the center to form a breaking edge 20, which extends across the under face of the wedge. Preferably, the wedge is supported in elevated position by means of springs 21, mounted in recesses 22 in the body of the holder 8 at the bottom of the slot 12. These springs serve to lift the breaking wedge to a height suflicient to permit the introduction of the bar to be operated on without its coming into contact with the wedge.

23 indicates a plunger, working vertically in the guide 2 on top of the wedge 19 and adapted to receive the breaking pressure from any suitable source, as, for instance, a hydraulic press or any other suitable form of power press.

24 indicates a stop, lying in the path of the bar to be broken, the same being provided with a dovetailed stem or shank 25, which fits in a similar dovetailed way 26 in the top of the supporting rib 7. Adjustment of this stop is effectedby means of nuts 28, lying on opposite sides of the stop, and mounted on a threaded stud 29, which extends outward from the supporting rib 7.

The foregoing elements may be constructed, of course, of any suitable material. Preferably, the base and guide are of cast iron, the holder of case-hardened steel, the breaking wedgev of tool steel, specially tempered, and the supports or abutment blocks of selfharcloning steel, While the resilient bed 15 is, as already stated, of spring steel.

I In carrying out my improved method with the apparatus just described, the parts being in the position shown, the stop 24 is first adjusted to a position such that the distance from its inner fac to the plane of movement of the breaking edge 20 of the wedge 19 is equal to the length of the section of the bar which it is desired to break off. The bar is then introduced into the apparatus by passing it through the opening 4, the slot 11 and the opening 5, until its forward end comes into contact with the stop 24. Pressure is then applied to the plunger 23, and I have found it desirable to employ a pressure of about three tons in the case of a bar having a cross section one-half inch square. The breaking edge 20 of the wedge 19 is thus pressed upon the upper side of the bar transversely thereof in the plane of the desired fracture, the bar being supported on the opposite side by the supports 14, on opposite sides of said plane of fracture, through the intermediate parts of the spring bed 15 which lies between said supports and the bar. That portion of the bar which extends across the space or depression 16 between the supports is resiliently supported by that portion of the spring bed 15 which extends across said space or depression. When the fracture occurs, it takes place in a plane transverse to the axis (f the bar and defined by' the breaking edge 20 of the wedge 19, and the spring bed 15 absorbs the shock of the fracture in such a way as to prevent chipping of the ends, thereby producing a clean, smooth break.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. An apparatus for breaking bars of selfhardening steel, comprising a breaking wedge, means for pressing the same against one side of the bar, fixed supports for the other side of the bar on opposite sides of the wedge, and a spring bed comprising a strip of spring steel resting on said supports and extending across the space between them, substantially as described.

2. An apparatus for breaking bars of selfhardening steel, comprising a breaking wedge, means for pressing the same against one side of the bar, fixed supports for the other side of the bar on opposite sides of the wedge, and a strip of spring steel fixed at one end and extending thence across the supports and the space between them, substantially as described.

3. An apparatus for breaking bars of selfhardening steel, comprising a holder having'separated supports with an intervening space or depression, guideways above said supports, and a transverse opening for ,the reception of the bar, in combination with a breaking wedge mounted to slide in said guidcways, and a spring bed comprising a spring steel strip extending across said supports and the intervening space, substantially as described.

4. An apparatus for breaking bars of selfhardening steel, comprising a hollow guide and a plunger therein,- a holder within the guide, openings for the bar extending through the guide and holder, a breaking wedge located in the path of the plunger and mounted to slide in the holder, supports carried by the holder on opposite sides of the path of said wedge, and a spring bed comprising a resilient strip extending across said supports, substantially as described.

5. in an apparatus of the character described, the combination, with a hollow cylindric guide transversely apertured, of a holder having a transverse slot to register with the apertures of'the guide, said holder being slotted hori zontally on opposite sides, and supports or abutment blocks fitting said horizontal slots and held therein by the guide, substantially as described.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, a base,

and a hollow cylindrie guide mounted thereon and transversely apertured, in combination with a holder mounted in said guide and having supporting blocks, a pin projecting upward from the base, and a strip of spring steel apertured at one end to fit said pin and extending through the guide and holder across the supports of the latter, substantially as described.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, a hollow guide, and a plunger fitted therein, a holder located in said guide and provided with separated supports and guideways, said guide and holder having a passage for the bar to be operated on, a breaking wedge fitted in the guideways of the holder and arranged in the path of the plunger, springs for lifting said wedge, and a resilient steel strip extending through said passage over the supports, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses. Y I

FOSTER HILLlX.

Witnesses EDGAR D. RANDOLPH, ELIZABETH E. KOLTHOFF. 

